Quite often, a dentist must make final adjustments to various dental appliances such as crowns, bridges, dentures, orthodontic devices, and other restorations. When the dentist is making the final adjustments, he or she must continually try the appliance for fit in the patient's mouth, have the patient advise the dentist as to how the appliance feels, remove the appliance, and make any necessary modifications such that the appliance fits properly and comfortably. Every time the dentist makes an adjustment to the dental appliance, material is removed from the appliance. This is normally done by grinding with a hand piece. The material removed often falls on the dentist's lap, on the floor, on the patient, or is blown into the environment as dust. The dust and particulate are normally contaminated with the patient's saliva. This contaminates the environment which can spread potentially dangerous microorganisms. Obviously, it would be advantageous if the dust and particulate could be removed and collected in a safe and convenient manner.
Generally, the dentist removes the dental appliance and takes it to a remote area where the laboratory equipment is located. Adjustments are made to the dental appliance and the dentist comes back into the treatment room and places the dental appliance back in the patient's mouth. This process may be repeated several times until the proper fit is achieved. Each time, the dentist leaves the treatment room and goes to the laboratory area to do the adjustments. Obviously, this is time consuming and inconvenient. Furthermore, the greater distance the dentist must travel to the laboratory and the more objects he or she touches, the greater the likelihood of cross-contamination in the office environment.
The prior art has addressed the problem of collecting dust from a work surface. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,091 illustrates a somewhat conventional design for a dust collector which draws the dust from the work surface into a compartment below the work surface. This device does not offer the advantages of automatic energization of the dust collecting unit without the need of the operator touching switches in order to activate it. Furthermore, this device is not portable and would generally be set up in a laboratory remote from the examination room.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,345 illustrates a blackboard eraser cleaner which is a dust collecting device. The device does not allow for hands-free operation, does not illuminate the work piece, and does not have a hood or a safety shield to protect the operator from the dust.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,123 illustrates an apparatus for cleaning porcelain work pieces. This device has a canister which has a top work surface and a central opening through which air is drawn. This draws the dust particles into a dust bag. However, this device must be connected to a separate vacuum source and is not self-contained. There is no hood or protection for the operator nor does it allow for hands-free operation but requires the operator to turn switches on and off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,510 illustrates a small vacuum box which is used for collecting particulate from wooden work pieces. However, this is adaptable for other uses. The device has a cabinet-like design which includes partially enclosed sides and an enclosed top and back. There is a partial glass shield in front to protect the operator. A fan in the rear of the unit provides for air flow to draw the particulate into a compartment. This compartment or collection box can be removed such that the collected particles can be disposed of. One shortcoming of the '510 device is that it does not collect contaminated particles in a removable and disposable filter bag. Thus, the possibility of spreading potentially harmful microorganisms through coming in contact with collected particles is still present. A second shortcoming of the '510 device is that it requires the operator to turn the device on and off manually through the use of electrical switches. In the dental field, the operator may contact the switches which can be contaminated which increases the likelihood of cross-contamination.
Applicant's invention comprises a self-contained portable device for collecting dust and particles from dental appliances as the same are being worked upon in the treatment room. Thus, there is no need for the dentist to leave the patient area. The device is self-contained and portable such that the dentist can have a dust-collecting device in each treatment area. The device has a housing which is enclosed except for partially opened sides which are sufficiently opened such that the dentist's hands can pass through them. There is a hollow work chamber in the front of the unit. The front of the chamber has a removable glass or plastic shield which protects the dentist from dust or particles which are removed from the dental appliance during the adjustment operation. The safety shield is removable to allow access to the chamber for cleaning and disinfecting. At the bottom of the chamber is a vacuum duct which draws the air and dust particles through a conduit into a filter bag. The filter bag is removed and disposed of when filled. When the operator places his hands into the work chamber, a sensor automatically turns on the fan motor to create a vacuum at the vacuum duct and also energizes a light within the chamber to illuminate the work area. Thus, the operator does not have to manually turn on any additional switches or come in contact with any such switches before working on the work piece.